The Weekly Raid: Does Bind On Pickup Gear Have A Place In MMORPGs

Do you remember a time when gear farmed from a dungeon could be traded to any other player in the game? It's tough, right? Bind on pickup gear has been in MMORPGs for a long time now; it's almost expected when you log in to any MMORPG, and not many people ask, "do we need, or want, bind on pickup gear?" (I miss player run shops.)

There's an argument to be made that bind on pickup stifles an in-game economy. It turns dungeon-looted items into gold. What else can you do with it but sell it to the blacksmith? And if a game is riddled with bound items there's no point in trading between players.

At the same time, without bind on pickup items you can easily boost other players by giving them epic gear—creating the perception that the boosted player has been given an unfair advantage; that they didn't earn the gear they've been given. But is that really something to care about? Wouldn't an in-game economy balance and end up pricing high-end items outside the purchasing power of everyday players; don't we have levels anyway?

Does bind on pickup gear have a place in MMORPGs? Let us know in the comments below!